An Authentic, Sometimes Gritty, and Always Hopeful Blog for All Who Live with Severe Physical Pain

Monday, September 26, 2011

Special Scripture for Those who Suffer

In the hours when pain seems to
have closed around me like some kind of gigantic set of jaws, digging and
clawing its way through my face and emotions, I often find comfort in the Psalms of King
David, who was also familiar with suffering. King David suffered greatly from tragedies of his own and others’
making, and modeled for us how our Lord is the only one who can rescue us from
the depths of woe.

Here’s
a scripture perfect for those of us who know pain:

Find rest, oh my
soul, in God alone;

My hope
comes from Him.

He alone is my rock
and my salvation.

He is my
fortress,

I will not be
shaken.

Psalm 62:5 – 6 (Amplified Version)

It
is not enough, however, for me to read the verse in order to gain comfort from it, even
if I read it several times. Instead, I
need to read it, breaking it down and focusing on key words and their
meanings. I want to demonstrate this to
you, hoping to help you gain better comfort and direction from
scripture:

"FIND"...(This implies that I can find rest if I seek
it.)

“…REST…” (“rest” is what I often really
need; a sense of peace; a separation from the pain.)

“…Oh my
SOUL…”(The soul represents the seat of our emotions, the “heart” of our selves. This is where we need the rest. )

“…in GOD alone;”(No one or nothing else can truly provide what we need to rest from our
pain.)

“My HOPE…” (Everything I long for.)

“…comes FROM him. “ (I receive it from him; it is
not in me. If I really want it, I must
seek it from the source who gives it…God.)

“He alone is my
ROCK…” (When I think of someone being a “rock of a person” I think of someone being steadfast,
unshakeable, steady, and strong. These
attributes in our Father in Heaven are infinitely more so…I am imbued with
strength and peace when I truly believe this.)

“…and my SALVATION.”
(This pain does not have the final say in my life; I am saved by
grace and someday, either in this world, or in Heaven, I will be free from it!)

“He is my FORTRESS,”(Despite the pain I bear, I cannot imagine how much worse it could be,
were I not protected by Him. I can also
testify to horrific times of pain when He has allowed me to feel set apart from
it. I will write about this some time, hoping you will not believe I am too
weird!)

“I will not be SHAKEN.”
(Shaken here, means shaken loose from His hold. He will never forsake me, and I can be
confident of this forever.)

I
like to write scriptures like this onto note cards that I post around my house, set
on my car’s dashboard, or keep in my purse, to use whenever I might need to “power
up” in the midst of a difficult pain period of emotional distress.

Until next time, I am praying for you to find comfort and rest in God--